Finalists Announced for 2018 Attman Competition

The 2018  Leonard and Phyllis Attman Competitive Business Prize Competition, sponsored by UB’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 13, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center (home of the Merrick School of Business), 11 W. Mt. Royal Ave. The event is free and open to the public; registration is required on Eventbrite.

This year’s finalists are:

• Brianna Billups, B.S. ’18, will pitch Fully Grown, which is on a mission to eradicate food deserts by growing our communities the way we grow our food: fully and sustainably.
• Willow Hendershot, B.S. ’20, represents Prevail, the first in a series of video games that focus on mental illness awareness. In Prevail, players progress through the story of someone struggling with PTSD.
• Kareema McLendon, B.S. ’20, whose eponymous fashion startup is a wholesale bridal firm focused on designing, manufacturing and selling bridal gowns to women aged 30-50.
• Crystal Santiful, B.A. ’19, will pitch Chrystal Tutu Paradise, a business that is dedicated to creating custom fashion designs for any occasion.
• Mikita Thompson, B.S. ’20, founder of The Party Room, a multi-functional event hall that is fully equipped with everything customers need to host social events.
• Brittany Whitby, B.S. ’18, MBA ’20, and Demi Abromaitis, BS ’17, who teamed up to create Charmony Naturals, which offers a mix of science, joy, and passion to create a unique line of hemp cosmetics for a diversity of needs.

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